


Six Scenes from Summer

by TeaTimeAllOverTown



Series: The Scenes We Never Saw [1]
Category: That '70s Show
Genre: Kissing, Romance, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaTimeAllOverTown/pseuds/TeaTimeAllOverTown
Summary: A collection of Jackie and Hyde scenes from season 4.5 - the ones we never got to see
Relationships: Jackie Burkhart/Steven Hyde
Series: The Scenes We Never Saw [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984022
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Six Scenes from Summer

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this up one night and fell in love a bit. The first entry ignores the scene in 4x27 where Jackie tells Hyde and and Fez about them getting married. I forgot about the scene when I wrote this and like what I wrote too much to change it. 
> 
> I am planning to make this a series. Six scenes from Season 5, from Season 6, etc. So keep an eye out.
> 
> Comments and love always appreciated. Enjoy!

1.

Hyde never expected to be the one to break the news. 

Foreman had come downstairs the night before looking like he’d just been told there would be no more Star Wars. Turns out, that would have been preferable to Foreman. Instead Hyde got a long, teary, melodramatic speech about how Donna and Kelso had taken off for California, never to be heard from again.

“She’s coming back man, they've got school in the fall.”

The reality of this didn’t seem to soothe Foreman in the slightest so Hyde had retreated to his room, unable to stand Foreman’s continued wallowing.

As he lay in his bed, his mind landed on Jackie. She and Kelso had been arguing. What did him taking off mean? He assumed it meant they were done, but with those two “done” was merely a temporary state of being. Never permanent.

But the next day she skips into the basement, beaming as she enters.

She frowns as she glances around, seeing Hyde being the only occupant of the room.

“Where’s Michael?” she asks, settling onto the couch. “I couldn’t find him last night.”

Hyde stares at her, utterly bewildered. Is this some way of getting over him? Pretending like she doesn’t know where he went? He doesn’t understand why that would help, but then again he understands very few of Jackie’s decisions.

“Uh...well he’s not here. That’s for sure.”

Jackie looks over at him, eyes narrowed.

“What does that mean?”

“It means he’s obviously not in the basement, Jackie.”

She crosses her arms, turning her body towards Hyde. 

“Well Steven, can you please tell me where he is? We have wedding things to work on.”

He balks. What the hell is she talking about?

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did Michael not tell you? We’re engaged!”

She’s beaming and giggling and her hands are clapping together out of excitement and Hyde is still entirely confused until it dawns on him.

Holy shit, Kelso bailed. Like really bailed. And he didn’t tell her.

And even though he will never admit it, Hyde feels bad. His stomach clenches up and he can’t even look at Jackie because she’s sitting there, telling him about how she is going to marry Michael Kelso and she has no idea he is jetting off across the country just to avoid marrying her.

It all makes sense now. He hadn’t really understand why Kelso left. Foreman probably knew but was too busy feeling sorry for himself to clue Hyde in. 

He considers his options. Don’t tell Jackie anything. Let her think Kelso will be around later and let someone else deal with the fallout.

He could get someone else to tell her. Maybe Mrs. Foreman. Or Red. Or Eric. Or maybe Fez. Donna would be ideal, but she fucked off to California too. 

But part of him wants to go with the last option: telling her himself. Because even though he will deny it until he turns red, he doesn’t actually hate Jackie all that much. He’s known since the beginning she was too good for Kelso. And maybe this will show her and he wouldn’t mind being the one to do so. 

So he takes a deep breath, grimacing slightly, and turns towards Jackie.

“Jackie...did you talk to Kelso last night?”

She frowns, considering the question, but then shakes her head.

“Not after we decided to get married. I had to get all the new bridal magazines - mine were old. I thought he’d call but he never did...he was probably telling his family about their new daughter-in-law!”

His stomach drops a little bit more. Kelso is the biggest piece of shit on the planet. 

“Look uh...Jackie. I don’t know how to tell you this but...Kelso’s gone.”

She stares at him, her smile dropping slightly.

“What?”

“He’s gone, man. Him and Donna left last night.”

“He and...what? Left where?”

“Uh...California.”

“I don’t...I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either. Foreman told me. He’s upstairs crying about it.”

“But Michael didn’t tell me. For how long?”

“I don’t know. I think for the summer.”

Her smile is now completely gone and has been replaced by a look of horror.

“He went to California?”

“Yes.”

“With Donna?”

“Yes.”

“For the summer?”

“Uh...yes.”

“That good for nothing absolute jerkface can’t even break up with me loser!”

Her voice is so high and so shrill, he glances around at the lightbulbs to make sure they haven’t shattered.

“Uh...Jackie look-,”

“I can’t believe him! I took him back after all of his crap and he bails on me! Without even telling me! Oh I am going to kill him. I am going to make Michael Kelso wish he was never born!”

Hyde watches her rant, her face red and blotchy with fury. He waits for the tears. They must be coming. He’s seen Jackie cry one too many times.

But she doesn’t start crying. Instead she paces the basement, hissing about all the way she is going to ruin Kelso’s life. He almost feels bad for Kelso. She’s vicious.

“Jackie,” he interrupts after a few minutes of this, growing mildly concerned about her safety as she nearly walks right into the coffee table. “Did Kelso really propose?”

“Yes!” she snaps, spinning towards him and placing her hands on her hips.

“Well why would he propose and then bail like that?”

She frowns, placing her hand on her chin and considers his question. 

“Well...he didn’t technically propose. He kissed me and it was so romantic so then we decided we should be together forever!”

Hyde nods, surveying her. He has a sneaking suspicion that Kelso may not have proposed. 

He looks back at her, still waiting for the tears. She looks slightly less maniacal now, the fact Kelso may not have actually wanted to marry her is apparently dawning on her. But her bottom lip isn’t trembling. Her hands aren’t flailing in front of her the way they usually do before the meltdown. Her eyes aren’t shining more than usual. Hyde winces. God, he should not know her this well.

“Well...aren’t you going to cry about it?”

She shakes her head, stomping one foot.

“No. I am not going to cry over this loser anymore. I’m done.”

Hyde raises an eyebrow because this is not what he expected. Jackie always cries over Kelso. Anywhere and everywhere. But here she is, stoic and unflinching. He wonders for a moment if maybe Jackie is actually done with Kelso this time.

Nah.

“Well if it makes you feel any better, I put a fish in his van so it’s going to stink to high heaven the entire drive.”

He expects her to berate him, tell him he’s childish and gross. Instead, she laughs. She laughs hard, bending over and clutching her stomach. A surprised smile crosses Hyde’s face in response. She’s actually kind of pretty when she laughs. 

“He’s going to get so mad,” she gasps through her peals of laughter, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye. “He’ll never figure it out.”

Hyde’s grin widens and lets out a small laugh himself. 

“No, he won’t.”

Body still shaking with giggles she falls down onto the couch, shaking her head. 

“Thank you, Steven.”

He frowns, staring at her in confusion.

“For what?”

“Telling me. Not being a jerk about it. Making me laugh.”

He suddenly feels extremely uncomfortable because that’s not what he intended at all. But she’s right. Not once did he want to laugh at her for being ditched. Not once did he make fun of her for agreeing to marry Kelso. Why didn’t he? He finds that odd.

“Uh...well you’re welcome I guess. I just told you what I knew. Not a big deal.”

She gives him a soft smile and sighs, running her hand through her hair.

“Where’s Eric? I want to talk to him.”

“Upstairs probably. Be careful, it’s unlikely he has pants on.”

Jackie wrinkles her nose but nods and disappears up the stairs.

In his chair, Hyde considers what just happened. Jackie Burkhart was kind of cool. And maybe single.

He shakes his hand, willing the thought of his mind.

Man, he needs to get laid and quick.

2.

He’s alone again in the basement the next morning. Foreman has stayed downstairs with him and Fez crying over Donna until almost midnight. Now Hyde’s tired and cranky and already sick of the Price is Right.

He hears the door open and Jackie bounces in, shooting him a bright smile.

“Hey. Where are Fez and Eric?”

He narrows his eyes at her, shrugging.

“How should I know?”

She pauses, clearly surprised at the hostility, but regains her smile and sits down on the couch. 

“Well I heard there is a party at Kyle McMillan’s tonight. Apparently his older brother is home so there will be a lot of college girls there. I thought we could all go. Get Eric’s mind off Donna.”

“I don’t like parties,” Hyde snaps, mindlessly watching an old lady guess some ridiculously off base number. Idiot.

“Well you like girls, don’t you?” she counters, cocking her head at him. He snorts.

“Yeah I like girls, Jackie. Doesn’t mean I want to go to some lame party.”

“Alright, you’re cranky this morning,” Jackie responds, reaching for one of the magazines.

“Why are you even here?” he snaps again, glaring at her. He’s exhausted and needs to refill his stash and her peppy attitude and blabbering is pissing him off.

“Well I couldn’t sleep this morning so I was up and figured I’d just head over here a little early. You never sleep in anyway.”

He sneers at her, rolling his eyes.

“No I mean why are you here? Kelso’s gone and you guys are over anywhere. Donna isn’t here so don’t you want to go see your cheerleader friends or something?”

He turns his eyes back to the TV, fixing his glare on a new old lady. God, he hates this show. 

He hears a sniffle from the couch and snaps his head towards Jackie and oh for the love of god, she’s crying. The whole nine yards. The pouting lower lip, the red nose, the watering eyes. Crap.

“Hey Jackie, look I’m...I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought-,”

“It’s fine, Steven,” she mumbles, reaching for her bag and standing up. “I should have realized you guys don’t actually like me.”

“Jackie, come on that’s not what I said.”

God, he hates this tiny woman. He should laugh when she cries, make fun of her or something. But instead it pulls at him and makes him feel sick to his stomach in a way that scares him, just a little bit. 

“I’ll just go find my cheerleader friends,” she sniffles and walks towards the door, head down. Hyde groans.

“Jackie, will ya just sit down? I’m sorry, alright? I’m in a bad mood and I was just being mean. We don’t...well I guess we don’t mind you all that much.”

She turns to him, eyes still red but the tears seem to have stopped.

“So you want me to stay?”

“I didn’t...I wouldn’t say that but...if you hung around this summer I guess that would be...well it would be fine.”

She raises an eyebrow, planting one hand on her hip. 

“It would be fine?”

“That’s what I said,” he mumbles, sinking down slightly in his seat and turning back to the tv, ignoring her eyes burning a hole in the side of his head.

“It’s okay Steven, I know you guys would miss me.”

“I didn’t say...whatever.”

She sits back down, wiping gently under her eyes, a satisfied smile on her face and they fall into silence, listening to the awful game show in the background.

This woman will be the death of him. 

3.

Jackie manages to convince them to come to the party. Fez was easy. As soon as she said “beer and girls” he darted home to change into tighter pants. Hyde relented once Fez said he’d go. Foreman pouted for a bit, whining about Donna, but Hyde pressured him long enough that he caved.

So now she is in a crowded basement, holding a solo cup full of a questionable looking punch, watching sweaty bodies dance around her.

It’s weird being at a party without Michael or Donna. Some of her other friends from school are there but they’re all hitting on the college guys and for whatever reason, Jackie just isn’t that interested.

She knows she should. She’s sure Michael is hooking with whatever he can find on the beach. She should be focusing on getting as many guys as possible so she can rub it in his face when he gets back. But she can’t bring herself to care. The idea of sticking her tongue down some faceless guy’s throat grosses her out a little, to be honest. 

So she brings the cup to her lips, taking another sip. She’s tipsy. The drink is strong and she can feel her head spinning a bit. She lost Fez immediately. He saw a busty blonde and darted off as soon as they walked in. Eric is in a corner, telling some poor girl all about his romance with Donna. She rolls her eyes at the pathetic sight.

Hyde however is M.I.A. She assumes he found a girl. There are plenty here, enough that Jackie can feel the itch of insecurity on the back of her neck. Although not as brazen as Michael, Steven always seems to find someone. Never someone serious or long term, but someone to occupy him for as long as he desires. 

She’s surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy at the thought. She is long over her crush on Steven. It was stupid and naive and stemmed entirely from her shattered illusions about Michael. But there’s always been something about Steven. Maybe it’s the zen or the sunglasses or the broken childhood. But whenever she sees him with a girl, she wonders what that would be like. To be chosen by Steven Hyde.

She shakes her head, bringing the cup to her mouth again. 

“Want to dance?”

She looks up into the face of a tall, sweaty man. He isn’t wearing a shirt and her eyes are immediately drawn to his torso and the sharp lines of his muscles. He’s hot, she can’t deny that. But she finds she is content to nurse her sugary pink drink alone in the corner.

“Um no thank you,” she replies, yelling slightly over the music. He frowns at her.

“Really?”

She frowns back, placing a hand on her hip.

“Yes, really. I don’t want to dance with you.”

He eyes her up and down, snorting when he reaches her eyes again.

“Suit yourself.”

Gaping after him in anger, she watches him disappear back into the crowd.

Suddenly a different voice appears in her ear.

“Jerk.”

She starts, drink sloshing around in her cup. She spins around to find Steven standing next to her, holding a beer.

“When did you get here?” she shouts, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shrugs, taking a sip of his beer.

“When that guy asked you to dance.”

“I figured you were off with some slut,” she responds, feeling a slight flush forming in her cheeks.

He shakes his head, bringing the beer back to his mouth. 

They’re silent for a moment, both watching the party around them.

“Why didn’t you dance with that guy?”

She looks back at him, surprised by the question. She shrugs.

“I don’t know. I didn’t want to.”

He nods, seemingly finding this to be an acceptable answer.

“I’m going to go smoke a bowl. Want to come?”

Her eyes widen a bit at the invitation. They’re not in the basement. They’re at a party surrounded by hundreds of people and hot girls and he’s asking her to come smoke.

“Sure. Want to get Eric?”

He glances over at Eric who is now gesticulating wildly to the concerned looking girl, tears shining in his eyes.

“Uh, no. Let’s go.”

And to her further surprise, he grabs her hand and pulls her through the basement. She keeps her hand limp in his, unsure of how to respond. It’s silly, her mind racing because Steven Hyde grabbed her hand to make sure they make it out of a crowded basement, but she can’t seem to slow her heart down.

Once they get away from the crowd he drops her hand instantly, climbing the stairs to the first floor. She follows after him, grabbing the railing as she slips a bit in her drunken state.

“Careful,” he murmurs, glancing back at her and slowing down slightly.

“Hyde, hey man!” someone upstairs calls out, a boy walking towards them.

“Hey,” Hyde replies shortly, continuing towards the front door with Jackie on his heels.

“Hyde do you want to-,”

The boy is cut off as Steven closes the door behind Jackie, the silence of the night greeting them. Her ears are ringing slightly from the loud music and the night air nips at her bare arms.

Apparently Hyde notices and he quickly sheds his jacket, handing it to her.

“Oh you don’t have to-,” 

“It’s fine. I’m not cold,” he interrupts, already digging something out of his pocket. He pulls out a small glass bowl and a bag. He sits down on the lawn, focusing on the task in front of him. Jackie follows his lead and sits down across from him, tucking her legs underneath her and shrugging his jacket on.

“Don’t like parties huh?”

His voice surprises her in the silence and she looks over him, his eyes still on the bowl and away from her.

“Steven I’m a cheerleader. Of course I like parties.”

He glances up at her, narrowing his eyes.

“Then why were you all alone?”

She shrugs, pulling his jacket more tightly around her.

“I don’t know. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone I guess.”

He raises an eyebrow.

“You? Didn’t feel like talking to anyone?”

She sticks her tongue out at him but can’t keep a grin off her face. She’s already feeling better, like she’s back in her own skin.

“I don’t know. It’s just weird with the whole Michael thing I guess. We technically aren’t even broken up, you know?”

He nods but turns his attention back to his bowl.

“And obviously as far as I’m concerned, it’s history. Going to California without telling me is unforgivable. But it still feels weird. I didn’t get to look him in the eye and tell him to go to hell, like I should have.”

He nods again, reaching for his lighter and bringing it up to his face.

“So even though I know I wouldn’t be doing anything wrong if I hooked up with someone else I still feel like I don’t have closure.”

He exhales, smoke twirling up into the sky above them. He passes the bowl over to her and she takes it gently in her hands, bringing it up to her mouth.

“You could write him a letter.”

Her lungs are filled with smoke when he offers his suggestion and she almost coughs it all out but keeps her cool, sending the smoke up to meet his.

“A letter?”

“Yeah,” he replies, reaching back for his piece. “Not as good as to his face, but you can make sure it says everything you want.”

She considers it for a moment, listening to the crackle of the bowl.

“That’s a good idea, Steven.”

He shrugs, smoke pouring out from his nose.

“How do you do that?” she asks, tilting her head.

“What? The nose thing?”

She nods, moving slightly closer to him.

He shrugs, handing her the piece back.

“I don’t know. Just keep your mouth closed and breath out your nose. It feels kind of weird though.”

She inhales, closing her mouth quickly once she feels the smoke in her lungs. Concentrating on keeping her mouth closed, she breathes out and feels an overwhelming tickling sensation inside her nose. She squeals slightly and her mouth flies open, emitting the rest of the smoke.

She hears Steven laughing next to her and she looks over at him, her eyes watering.

“That tickled!” she cries, reaching up to rub her nose.

“That was hilarious,” he grins, shaking his head. “The cheerleader burnout.”

“I’m not a burnout!” she replies indignitingtly, handing him back the bowl. Still smiling, he takes it from her.

“Really? Because you’re out here blowing smoke out your nose instead of inside at the party.”

She frowns, considering this information. He’s right. She’s having more fun out here smoking with Steven than she had the entire time at the party. 

Huh. 

“Whatever. I just fit in everywhere, I guess.”

He raises an eyebrow at her but doesn’t respond, smoke pouring from his nose again.

She reaches out a hand and smacks him across the shoulder, giggling when he pretends to be physically wounded.

She’s having fun and she has a sneaking suspicion he’s having fun too.

They finish the bowl and he places it down on the grass in between them, bringing his eyes up to the night sky.

“You didn’t like any of the girls in there?” she asks after a moment, following his lead and bringing her eyes up the stars.

“There were plenty of hot girls,” he responds, laying back on the grass. She lays down beside him.

“Why didn’t you hook up with any of them?”

He shrugs, tugging at the grass beside him.

“I don’t know, didn’t feel right.”

She nods, pretending to understand what he means. 

“Michael would have hit on any of the girls in there,” Jackie comments, squirming slightly as the grass tickles her bare skin.

“Probably,” he responds and Jackie turns to glare at him. “What? You said it first.”

“You were supposed to say he wouldn’t have because he was dating me!”

Hyde shrugs, twirling a blade of grass between his fingers.

“Were there other girls? Girls I didn’t know about?” Jackie asks, her voice soft. She hears him sigh.

“Not after you got back together this last time.”

“But before that?”

“Look Jackie, I don’t know. Probably. But there’s no good in going through them all.”

“I know. I just feel so dumb now. I took him back after all that and now he’s off in California to avoid marrying me. He didn’t even say goodbye.”

She hears him sigh again. She wishes she would stop. She knows Hyde doesn’t want to hear her sob story about Michael. But of all his friends, Steven’s always been the most real with her about Michael. 

“Kelso’s an idiot, Jackie. I always said you could do better than him. Whenever he cheated I tried to get him caught, I swear. But look...you said you’re done with him now, right? So just...let it go. Find someone better this time.”

It’s odd how comforting Jackie always finds Steven. He’s rude and brusk and can barely say more than a few sentences at a time but for whatever she trusts him when he says it will be okay.

“Thanks, Steven,” she murmurs, bringing her eyes back to the stars.

“It’s cool,” he mutters back.

As the stars flicker up above her, Jackie smiles. Despite the heartbreak over the last two days, lying here in the wet grass with Steven, she feels content. For once in her life, Jackie closes her eyes and listens to the silence. 

4.

Jackie is standing outside of the basement, her heart pounding in her chest.

Just hours ago, she’d been inside that basement kissing Steven Hyde.

Not kissing, making out like their lives depended on it.

She doesn’t know how it happened. They’d been watching TV, like they’d been doing all week, and then suddenly he was looking at her and she was looking at him and his lips looked so soft and a magnetic force was pulling her towards him, out of her control.

So they kissed. A nothing kiss. A kiss that could be forgotten about as soon as it happened.

But then she was on top of him and his hands were in her hair and her tongue was in his mouth and none of this could be forgotten about.

As soon she’d come to her senses, she’d rushed out of the basement with a choked “I have to go” and ran straight home to throw herself on her bed. She’d considered staying there for the rest of the summer and praying she never saw Hyde again. An easy, if slightly dramatic, solution to this problem.

But after several hours of pacing and talking to her stuffed animals, she had determined she needed to face this head on. She was Jackie Burkhart. 

She chalked it up to boredom and possibly heat stroke. The weeks since Michael left were passing in slow motion. She’d quit her job immediately, Jackie was not about to stand around selling cheese if Daddy was giving her access to the credit card again, and the pool and basement had become monotonous. 

Eric cried in his room all the time and Fez liked to chase women far out of his league all around town so it had been her and Hyde in the basement more often than not. She noticed he’d grown a couple inches. She noticed he’d started wearing a new aftershave. She noticed he’d put on muscle and t-shirts seemed to hug his arms just a little bit tighter.

So in a moment of weakness, she had given into the boredom and the heat and the slight attraction and kissed Steven Hyde. Or he kissed her. She wasn’t sure. 

And maybe it was a great kiss. Possibly her best. Definitely her hottest. But none of that mattered now that she was out of that stuffy room. She needed to go in there and set the record straight. She was not interested in him. It was a mistake. It was to be forgotten and never discussed.

So she throws open the door and frowns at an empty room. Immediately, she feels disappointment. Disappointment she can’t set the record straight, she quickly corrects herself internally. Not disappointment that Steven isn’t here.

She turns to leave when a voice calls out.

“Hey.”

It’s Steven. He appears around the corner from his bedroom and she can see the surprise and then panic on his face when his eyes fall on her. He quickly regains his zen but she saw it. She feels herself relax slightly. She feels better knowing Steven is nervous to.

“Hey,” she replies, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

“What’s up?” he mumbles, walking past her and taking a seat in his chair. She frowns at the casual greeting but shakes her head, sitting down on the couch across from him.

“Well...look Steven, about yesterday...it was a mistake. I was bored and it was hot and we need to forget it ever happened.”

“Okay.”

She glances over at him, taken aback by the quick agreement. 

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.”

“So...you don’t care?”

“Nope.”

“Oh. Well...okay.”

“Cool.”

“Yes...cool.”

They fall into silence, the television the only sound filling the room. She glances over at him but he is focused on whatever is on the TV. His hand is tapping a quick rhythm against his leg and she smiles slightly because he’s still nervous, even if he doesn’t want her to know.

She watches his hand tap against his leg and her eyes slowly drift up to his chest. He’s wearing a light colored t-shirt, not black for once, and she can make out the outline of his pecs. They’re bigger than Michael’s were and for some unknown reason her mind flashes to an image of Steven shirtless and Jackie running her hands up his bare chest.

She shakes her head, as if hoping the physical act will force the images from her head. But she can’t keep her eyes from darting back over to him and, oh my god, Jackie realizes she desperately wants to kiss him again.

So much so that she quickly jumps off the couch because she thinks if she is in this room with him for a moment longer, she will throw herself at him. And that is not an option.

“I’m going to go,” she mumbles and hurries towards the door. And as she reaches for the knob, she feels a hand on her shoulder.

She gasps slightly at the contact and spins around to find Steven merely inches from her face, sunglasses lost somewhere along the way.

“Steven-,” she begins to ask but she’s cut off when his lips find hers. It feels like a sip of water in the desert. Her body reacts instinctively; her arms flying around his neck and her chest pressing flush against his. She feels one of his hands slide into the small of her back and his other hand bury in her hair. He’s everywhere, overwhelming every nerve in her body, and she feels desire she’s never felt before in her life. She needs him, every part of him.

He stumbles backward towards the couch, pulling her with him. It’s clumsy and awkward but she clings on for dear life and practically throws herself on top of him once he’s seated. 

“Jackie,” he pants when their mouths separate to catch a breath, “I’m sorry. We shouldn’t-,”

She rolls her eyes and brings her lips back to his, catching them in a searing kiss. It’s too late for that now. That’s what she’d been trying to do when she left. But the doors on this mess have been ripped open and it can’t be shut. Not this time.

He doesn’t try to interrupt again. Instead his tongue finds its way into her mouth and his hand lands on the bare skin between her waistband and her top. She shivers slightly at the touch, sucking his tongue further into her mouth.

She’d never kissed anyone like this, kissing with passion and intensity and overpowering lust. She’d never kissed Michael like this.

As soon as Michael’s name pops into her head, footsteps above freeze them both in their tracks. She jumps back, smacking her legs on the coffee table and hissing as Steven frantically reaches for his sunglasses.

The footsteps fade away and she breathes a sigh of relief, rubbing at the sore spot on her legs.

“You okay?” he asks, glancing at her.

“Yeah, fine,” she murmurs, sitting down in his chair.

The silence is thick and uncomfortable and she continues rubbing at her leg not so much because it hurts but rather because it gives her something to do.

She glances over at him and gives a loud giggle, cupping her hand over her mouth. He looks over her in surprise.

“What?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry,” she giggles, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

“What?” he asks, looking around wildly.

“You’ve got lipstick all over,” she wheezes, wiping at the tears sliding down her cheeks.

“Oh dammit,” he growls, flying off the couch towards the bathroom. She continues giggling as she hears him muttering to himself.

He appears again after a minute, lips red from being scrubbed but free from coral pink.

“That stuff is a bitch to get off,” he snaps, sitting back down on the couch and crossing his arms over his chest.

She lets out a final laugh, moving over to sit beside him. Something about the lipstick seemed to free her from her own head. If she can laugh at him for being covered in her makeup, they can talk about whatever is going on. They have to.

“Steven-,” she begins but he cuts her off, looking over at her from his spot on the couch.

“I shouldn’t have uh...kissed you. Sorry. It just sort of happened.”

She shakes her head, placing a hand on his knee.

“I’m not sorry.”

“Really?” he asks, eyebrows raising in surprise.

“Really. Look, it's summer and I’m bored and...well kissing you is fun.”

She sees a grin pull at his lips when she says this and her cheeks burn slightly.

“I uh...yeah it’s not the worst for me either.”

Her cheeks burn a deeper red.

“And I don’t really have anything else going on this summer so…,” she trails off, her eyes falling to the floor.

“Yeah, me either,” he agrees.

“But look, no one can know about whatever this is,” she says seriously, pulling her hand back from his knee. “My reputation would be ruined.”

He rolls his eyes but shifts slightly so he’s facing her on the couch.

“Jackie, I would rather die than let anyone know about...about whatever it is we’re talking about.”

Part of her wants to take offense to this, but most of her just wants to jump him. His arm is stretched over the back of the couch, inches from her, and she can practically feel the heat of skin burning into hers.

“And only during summer. As soon as school starts, this never happened.”

“No argument from me,” he agrees.

“We have to be careful. Eric and Fez can’t know.”

She sees something darken in his eyes and it sends heat pooling in her stomach. 

“I can be sneaky.”

It’s too much. His face and his arms and the idea of making out with Steven behind their friends' backs send her flying across the couch and back into his lap. She feels his smile against her lips but as she bites down on his lip, it disappears.

“Steven, dinner’s ready!”

Mrs. Foreman’s voice rings across the basement and Jackie lets out a small squeal and she leaps off him again, this time landing more gracefully on her feet.

They pause, looking at each other for a moment, before Hyde grins.

“Well I’ve got to go eat. I’ll see you...tomorrow?”

The implication in the words tomorrow sends a shiver down her spine and she gulps.

Then she nods.

His grin widens and he stands off the couch, arm brushing against hers as he walks to the stairs.

She sits back on the couch, bringing her hands to her face.

What the hell has she gotten into?

5.

Hyde is sitting in his usual chair when Jackie walks in. He hadn’t expected her. She’d spent nearly an hour yesterday telling him all about how she was going to the mall with several of the cheerleaders to make sure they had the cutest clothes in school. So when she comes in only an hour after he gets out of bed, he’s surprised.

“What’re you doing here? Thought you had stupid looking clothes to buy?”

She glares at him.

“I never wear stupid clothes, Steven.”

He shrugs at her.

“Well anyway, why aren’t you at the mall?”

“Oh well...one of them cancelled and we decided not to go. I’ll just go by myself another time.”

He can tell by the way she’s biting her lip and doesn’t ramble on that they bailed on her. They’ve been bailing on her all summer. She always plays it off like it’s no big deal but Hyde can tell. He’s not surprised. He’s not sure whether Jackie blows them off to hang out here or hangs out here because they blow her off but either way, she’s property of the basement now. The basement and the cheerleaders don’t match.

“Well, whatever. Mall’s are just a consumerism scam anyway. No one needs that much stuff.”

Jackie half-heartedly rolls her eyes but stays silent, picking at one of her cuticles. And much to his displeasure, Hyde feels guilt in his stomach. He feels bad that they ditched her. And the fact she isn’t arguing with him, or sticking her tongue down her throat by now, just makes him feel worse.

“Wanna go to the Hub or something?” he offers, feeling an unpleasant need to cheer her up immediately.

“What? Oh no, it’s fine.”

He sighs. He was hoping a cheeseburger might bring back overly talkative Jackie again.

“Want to go upstairs and annoy Eric while he’s in the bathroom? He gets all screechy when you do.”

She wrinkles his nose and shakes her head.

“Um no, thank you.”

He grimaces, tapping his foot. He doesn’t know why he has such an overwhelming need to make her feel better. He’s not her boyfriend. Fooling around with her nearly everyday doesn’t mean he’s responsible for her feelings. But something about her quiet, distracted energy is eating away at a part of him and he doesn’t think he can physically stand it.

“Want to go to the mall?”

She snaps her head towards him.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Her jaw drops and a smile creeps onto her face.

“Are you serious?”

“It’s a one-time offer and if you tell anyone, I’ll say you shop in the clearance section.”

Her expression darkens slightly but she bites her lip, fighting a grin.

“Let’s go.”

He nods and stands ups.

“I’m calling everything ugly.”

“Fine.”

“And I’m not trying anything on.”

“Fine.”

“And you’re buying lunch.”

“Fine.”

“Alright, come on.”

She trots after him towards the door, babbling happy about which stores they’re going to first. Hyde is glad he’s in front of her because he can’t quite hide the tiny smile that comes from listening to her go on and on. Dammit, he’s getting soft.

She hops into his passenger seat, still going a mile a minute.

“I’m going to find the cutest dress and buy every single one in Molly’s size so she can’t get it. That’s what she gets for ditching me.”

Hyde nods, starting his car.

“Thank you, Steven.”

Her voice is soft and he turns to her in surprise. She reaches over and places a hand on over his.

He grunts, feeling his cheeks flush slightly.

“How about you pick something out for me? I’ll wear it tonight.”

He grins at her.

“Alright.”

She spends the entire ride babbling about the latest trends, the stores she wants to go to, the colors that will be in for the fall. It’s like the hum of a car engine. Peaceful background noise. Listening to her has become a constant background noise in his life and for whatever reason, he’s become accustomed to it. His room late at night after she leaves is heavy with silence now, in a way it wasn’t before. He would never tell anyone this of course but he can’t stop the thought from going through his own head.

He pulls into a spot in front of the mall and Jackie quickly trots around to fall in step next to him.

“Okay, let’s start on the other side and work our way back.”

He follows her around the mall, careful to keep a scowl on his face the entire time and throw in comments about capitalism and brainwashing every twenty minutes or so. But in reality, it’s not that bad.

She keeps up the conversation as they traipse through the stores, occasionally pulling out an item of clothing. She doesn’t ask his opinion, clearly confident about her choices. He likes that. He doesn’t want to have to think or pretend to care about which shade of blue looks better on her eyes. He can just watch the way her hips sway as he follows her around the stores.

They actually talk too. She tells him that her Mom left. She met a guy who owned a resort in Mexico and announced she would be spending the rest of the summer there.

“She asked me to come.”

“Really?” Hyde asks, surprised.

“I had to remind her I have this thing called school. That I legally have to attend.”

“Well you’re 16 now. You can technically drop out.”

She rolls her eyes at him, turning back to the clothes rack.

“Anyway, what am I going to do with her and her gross boyfriend in Mexico all day? And then when he dumps her in a month, I’d end up back here anyway. No thanks.”

“Hey at least she offered to bring you. Edna couldn’t get away fast enough.”

She offers him a sympathetic smile, eyeing a floral pink top.

“Well at least I still have Daddy. He barely leaves the office but he gives me this.” She holds up a credit card, waving it in the air.

“Ah, parental affection,” Hyde chuckles, rolling his eyes. “Your parents send you here alone with a blank check. Mine came with me. They just forgot to bring me home.”

“How do you forget a child?” she asks, gaping.

“They were drunk.”

“Do you ever miss your mom?” she asks, placing the pink top back on the rack. 

“Edna? No.”

“Really?”

“Well, I got a lot of free cigarettes. And it was easier to hide my stash. But as a person? No.”

“Well you got lucky with Mr. and Mrs. Foreman taking you in.”

“Yeah, I did.”

“I wish Eric realized how lucky he is.”

He stares at her in surprise for a moment because he totally agrees. 

“Yeah, me too.”

They fall back into a comfortable silence as she compares two pairs of jeans, eyeing them up against her in the mirror.

“I’m going to try these on. I’ll be right back.”

He nods and watches her disappear. He wanders to the back of the store, looking for a place to wait until she’s back.

“Hyde?”

He frowns and looks up, spotting two girls walking over to him. They’re both blonde and tanned and he struggles for a moment to place them. Then it dawns on him. Cheerleaders.

“Uh, hey,” he mutters back, glancing nervously towards the dressing room. He’s not sure if these were the girls who supposedly couldn’t make shopping with Jackie today, but he has a bad feeling.

“Um...what are you doing here?”

“Just uh...you know, shopping,” he stutters, rubbing his hands nervously on his jeans.

“Here?” the taller one asks skeptically, glancing around the store. “They don’t even sell men’s clothes here. And isn’t it a little bit...expensive?”

He glares because the last thing he needs is some airbrain cheerleader making snide remarks about him. 

“Maybe I’m just here to steal something, right?” he snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well now go away so you don’t become an accessory.”

The shorter girl looks nervously over her friend.

“Is that a thing?”

The taller one rolls her eyes, surveying Hyde. He glances nervously over at the dressing rooms again. 

Then a grin slips onto her face.

“You’re here with someone aren’t you?”

“What? No. None of your business.”

“Oh my god, Steven Hyde finally has a girlfriend. Who is it?”

“Get lost, bimbo.”

“Okay, Steven let’s-,” Jackie stops in her tracks, several feet away from Hyde and the cheerleaders, her face falling.

“Molly? Julie? What are you doing here?” she asks, hurt apparent on her face.

“You’re dating Hyde?” the one apparently named Julie asks in shock, looking between Hyde and Jackie. Jackie rolls her eyes.

“No, he’s just being a good friend and taking me to the mall. Unlike you two. I thought you had an appointment, Julie?”

“Look Jackie, you’ve been bailing on us all summer too. To hang out with him, apparently.”

Hyde considers this information. So Jackie has been the one bailing. Interesting.

“You didn’t invite me to the summer slumber party!” Jackie snaps back.

So they’ve been bailing on each other.

“Jackie, Kelso’s made out with like half the girls on the squad. It’s awkward!”

Hyde rolls his eyes. Stupid Kelso. It’s always Kelso’s fault.

“I’m not even with Michael anymore.”

Both blonde girls roll their eyes.

“Sure. Just like every other time, right?”

“Whatever, Julie. You guys bailed on me and left me to go to the mall alone. You’re bad friends!”

“Well, you’re clearly not alone, so…,” Julie trails off, her narrowed eyes falling back on Hyde. He sneers. He does not like this girl. 

“C’mon Jackie, let’s go,” Hyde mutters, turning away from the cheerleaders. 

“Buying those jeans, huh Jackie? That’s pretty brave of you. I couldn’t imagine looking fat on the first day. Kelso will just cheat on you again.”

Hyde’s heart drops because holy shit, that girl just pulled out the deepest knife she had and plunged it into Jackie’s heart. He doesn’t need to turn around and look at Jackie because he can picture the expression on her face. And it hurts.

“Hey, Julie, right?” Hyde asks, turning around and staring at her.

“Yeah,” she sneers back, placing her hand on her hip. 

“Your dad’s Alex Parker, right?”

Her expression darkens slightly but she keeps her snear.

“Yes, what is it to you?”

“Oh, nothing. I just happen to remember he used to try and fuck my mom. She was kind of a whore, remember? But even she didn’t want to sleep with him.”

Julie’s jaw drops and she stares at him, horror etched on her face.

“Oh, burn Julie, burn!” Jackie cries, beaming at Hyde

“Let’s go, Julie,” the other cheerleader mutters, grabbing her hand and rushing out of the store. Hyde watches them go, fuming as their heels clatter away.

He and Jackie are silent for a moment, before Jackie finally turns to him.

“Was that true? About her dad?”

Hyde snorts and shakes his head.

“No way. Pretty sure Edna was the one following him around. But now the rumor’s out there, right?”

Jackie gives him a soft smile, nodding her head.

“Thanks,” she mumbles, eyes falling back to her feet.

“Go buy those and then we’ll go get lunch.”

She shakes her head, placing the jeans down on a shelf beside her

“Uh...I don’t want these actually. We can just go.”

He stares at her.

“Jackie, don’t let her get in your head. If you like the jeans you should get them. She was just being a bitch.”

“I know but it’s fine. I don’t need them.”

Her voice is still small and she still won’t meet his eyes. He sighs.

“Want to try them on and show me?”

She looks at him, eyes wide with excitement.

“Really?”

“Yes but I’m only focusing on your butt.”

She squeals and grabs the pants, running back to the dressing room. A few moments later she emerges, dark denim hugging her thighs. Hyde swallows, mouth suddenly a little dry.

“You like?” she asks, twirling on the spot. Hyde swalls again.

“Uh...yeah. Those are uh, those are great.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“Really? I don’t look fat?”

“Only in the right places.”

She frowns for a moment but then grins at him, eyes glinting.

“You really like them huh?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well,” she murmurs, strolling up to him and glancing around quickly, “I could use some help getting out of them. In the dressing room.”

He raises an eyebrow and his heart starts to pound excitedly against his chest.

“Really? Here?”

She nods and winks, spinning on her heel to saunter back to the dressing room.

“Coming?” she asks, pausing at the door.

Tugging at his collar, Hyde glances around before hurrying after her.

With her tongue in his mouth as she presses him against the wall of the dressing room Hyde thinks that if this is a date with Jackie, maybe it’s not so bad.

6.

Steven Hyde is messing around with Jackie Burkhart.

It’s no longer a past tense thing. He didn’t mess around with her. He is messing around with her. Actively, intentionally and regularly. And the craziest part? It’s fucking awesome.

When they hang out, they don’t even just fool around anymore. They maul each other like it’s going out of style as soon as they’re alone together but now she sticks around even when they’re done. They don’t do anything in particular. Watch TV, drive around town, think of ways to make Foreman more miserable over Donna. Or even just talk. It’s nuts but Hyde is actually starting to enjoy talking to Jackie.

Yeah she’s shallow and girly and her taste in music is awful but she’s actually really smart. She listens to his rants about the government and asks him questions. Good questions. Questions that make him think. She tells him about her parents and to his surprise, they actually kind of suck. Not in the drunken, borderline abusive way his parents had. In a more detached, unobservant way. He’s realizing they might actually have more in common than he thought and that scares the shit out of him.

Because he thinks he might actually like her. He loves kissing her and touching her but he also likes the way she twirls her hair around her finger when she talks. And how her nose scrunches up when she’s confused. Her laugh has become something he looks forward to, instead of cringing when he hears it. And when she leaves the room, he actually kind of misses her.

But he can’t like Jackie. Because she’s Jackie and he’s Hyde and more importantly she’s his best friend’s ex-girlfriend. Kelso being gone has allowed him to push any guilt he feels way, way back in his brain but once he gets back it won’t be so easy. If he and Jackie are even still fooling around by then.

He’s surprised by how relaxed she’s been about the completely undefined nature of their fooling around. He had mentally prepared to fight off questions about monogamy and pestering about his feelings but they never came. She was almost as zen about the whole thing as he was. That was kind of a problem as it just made him like her even more.

“Hyde, get out here. We want a circle!” he hears Fez call from outside his room so he sighs, standing up from bed and making his way out into the basement.

“What were you doing back there?” Eric asks, looking over at him as he takes a seat on his chair.

“Nothing, just enjoying some peace and quiet,” he responds, feeling slightly nervous as though Foreman could read his thoughts.

“Well come on. My host parents said I have to be home by 10 for bible study. It is the summer there should be no studying,” Fez whines, taking a bite of licorice. 

Hyde pulls out his stash, carefully rolling a joint and bringing it to his lips

“Ahh,” he exhales, smoke drifting in between them.

He passes it over to Fez who does the same, smiling as he passes it along to Eric.

Fez glances at the empty seat next to him, frowning.

“Ai, I miss Kelso.”

“I miss Donna,” Eric remarks, sighing as he passes the joint to Hyde. Hyde rolls his eyes.

“Quit it with the girl talk. They’ll be back in a couple of weeks,” he snaps, hoping to avoid discussing Kelso.

“Where’s Jackie?” Eric asks, glancing around as if he just realized she isn’t here.

“How should I know?” Hyde mutters, a little too quickly. Truthfully, he knows she had a mandatory cheerleading squad tryout before the school year started. Not a chance in hell he’s letting Fez or Eric know he has that information.

“Do you think she and Kelso will get back together right away?” Fez asks, coughing slightly from the hit he just took.

“I don’t know, she was pretty mad and she’s barely talked about him all summer. It might take at least a week,” Eric responds.

Hyde shifts slightly in his seat. He doesn’t like the topic of this conversation. 

“Who cares? Kelso probably met some bimbo in California anyway.”

Fez shakes his head, turning to Hyde.

“Yes but he’ll go back to Jackie. He always does.”

“You know, she actually hasn’t been all that bad this summer. Way less ‘tell me I’m pretty, Michael’ and ‘god you’re such an idiot, Michael,” Eric comments, leaning back in his seat and giggling slightly for no immediately discernible reason. 

“She might not take him back, you know,” Hyde mutters, taking another hit. “She seems different.”

“It’s Jackie and Kelso. They’ll always end up back together,” Eric yawns. “Just a matter of time.”

Hyde frowns. Eric and Fez have moved on, Fez is telling Eric about a boob he saw at the pool, but Hyde is stuck inside his own head. Even though his logical brain has always told him Jackie will go back to Kelso, he’s realizing he hasn’t accepted that reality. 

He doesn’t want her to get back together with Kelso. He’s willing to admit that. Partly because it’s funny to watch his friend desperately try and win her back. Partly because Kelso’s not good enough for Jackie. Partly because at this point, watching her be with him is going to hurt. He has always assumed their rondevu will end when summer does, but he hasn’t really pictured what’s going to happen after. He will still want Jackie. He will still like Jackie. But he won’t be able to touch Jackie or hang out with Jackie. And now he’s realizing, that’s going to suck. 

“Hyde?”

Eric’s voice breaks him out of his thoughts and he coughs, reaching for the pipe Eric’s holding out.

“Sorry, thanks.”

“What’s up, man?”

“Just uh...there’s this car man. It runs on water…”

He’s in his room the next morning, Led Zeppelin playing on his turntable, when he hears a knock at the door. He frowns slightly. It’s only nine and Foreman doesn’t wake up until noon these days.

“Come in,” he calls, sitting up on his bed. He hears the door opening and Jackie enters, smiling at him.

“Hey, you.”

He grunts back, eyes narrowing at her.

“It’s early. What are you doing here?”

She frowns at his slightly cold greeting, stopping in her tracks at the doorway. 

“I had early tryouts. I figured you would be up already so I came by.”

She looks confused and a little hurt and he feels guilty but listening to Fez and Foreman talk about how she was destined to end up back with Kelso has him reeling, just a little bit. 

“Well, I’m up,” he responds, laying back down on the bed without inviting her over. 

She hesitates a moment longer before entering the room fully, closing the door and walking over to his chair.

“What’s wrong?”

He scoffs, shaking his head.

“Nothing, Jackie.”

She narrows her eyes at him.

“Yes there is. You’re acting like a tool. What’s wrong?”

“You don’t know me, Jackie.”

She crosses her arms, leaning back in his chair. 

“I think I know you a little bit by now. What is it? Usually my top would be off by now.”

“Yeah well, I’m maybe over you.”

She stiffens.

“Over me?”

“This was a stupid idea, Jackie. Kelso’s going to be back soon. Let’s just end it now. It’ll make getting back with him easier.”

“Is that what this is? You think I’m going to get back together with Michael?”

“Well aren’t you?” he snaps.

“No, Steven I’m not. I’ve told you a million times I’m not.”

“But it’s you and Kelso. You always get back together.”

“Well this time is different.”

“Why?”

She opens her mouth to respond, but apparently thinks better of it.

“That’s what I thought.”

“I’m not going to take him back.”

“Whatever.”

“Why do you care anyway? This is just physical. We both agreed.”

“I don’t care. I just think it’s better if we stop now. Before Kelso gets back.”

“Fine. Doesn’t matter to me.”

“Fine.”

She doesn’t get up to leave though. She stays in the chair, glaring at him. 

“Look if you want to stop this, that’s your call. But I’m not taking Michael back. He blew it, for good.”

He lets his eyes fall on her. She looks hurt and confused and pissed off but also resolute. And he realizes something.

He knows her now. Better than Foreman or Fez. He’s the one who’s spent all summer with her, not them. So if he believes her when she says she’s not going to take him back, that counts more than what anyone else says.

“Alright.”

She frowns, furrowing her brows.

“Alright?”

“Yeah. I believe you.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you still want to end this?”

He shrugs, moving his eyes to the ceiling and away from her.

“I got nothing better going on.”

He hears her huff and she moves towards him, sitting on the edge of his cot.

“That’s rude, Steven.”

He shrugs again.

“Why do you care so much if I got back together with Michael, anyway?”

She’s prying. He can’t blame her. He opened up this can of worms. He acted like a jerk. 

Part of him wants to be honest. He likes her. He doesn’t want to stop messing around. He doesn’t want to see her with someone else, especially Kelso.

But most of him screams to shut down. Play cool. Aloof, zen - his comfort space. Emotions are vulnerabilities. She still could take Kelso back. This might just be a way to get off for her. It’s easier not to care. It always is.

So he shrugs again.

“He’s been my friend for a long time. I’d feel shitty messing around with you if you’re just going to get back together.”

She narrows her eyes at him.

“So it’s just about Michael?”

“Of course it is.”

She nods, but he sees a tiny grin on her face.

“Alright.”

He glares at her.

“It is.”

“I believe you.”

She’s still smirking.

“Jackie, knock it off.”

“I’m not doing anything!”

“Whatever.”

They’re silent for a moment, Hyde glaring at his ceiling and Jackie biting back a grin.

“So want to make out?” she finally asks, crawling towards him on the bed.

Her lips are on his before he can respond but within moments he’s kissing her back fervently, his hands buried in her hair. 

God, she tastes so good.

God, he is so screwed.


End file.
